Adjustable compositor&#39;s chase



March 27, 1934. B. E. HAYES 1,952,067

ADJUSTABLE GOMPOSITORS CHASE Filed Aug. 10, 19:52

6 /ll/ 3/% 4 Fly-J Fig-4 6 {Q Qf/ g Fl g' I INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNETD STTS 1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in printing chases for use'by compositcrs in printing offices, for the assembly of type matter, whereby a quick and accurate adjustment of the space within the walls or side-members oi the chase may be made, and having simple, efficient and quickly operated locking devices to hold the sidemembers of the chase firmly in any desired position.

An important object of my invention is to provide a chase for oompositors in printing offices which is susceptible of adjustment of the space within the walls or side-members of the chase, from a minimum space used in the printing trade, to any greater desired space, limited only by the length of the side-members, and the adjustments being infinitesimal in degree of increase or decrease, as will appear by reference to the accompanying drawing and description. I accomplish my object in this particular by the use of an eccentrically mounted friction lock, adapted to hold the adjustments to any desired limits.

The positions of all said side-members are ad jus'table in relation to each other in such manner that the space enclosed thereby is always a parallelogram in form, either a square or an oblong, and-in'the latter case the comparative lengths of the sides and the ends of said enclosed space are adjustable at will. i

Mounted or inscribed on the upper sides of the respective side-members are printers line gages, providing for accurately and quickly adjusting the chase as to accommodate any prescribed size of assembled type matter.

An. additional important object of this invention is to provide a compositors chase, having mounted or inscribed upon the upper side of each of the side-members thereof, a printers line gage which will enable the compositor to readily align the assembled type at right angles to the edge of the form, thus making each line of printing straight and so that all may lie at right angles with the side edges of the page or column. Also to enable the compositor to space equally each consecutive line of type and place same at exact predetermined distances, respectively, from the top of the form, to the end that on the printed sheet (e. g. in printed books, circulars and the like wherein both sides of the leaf are printed) each line of printing on one side of the leaf may be made to register with a line or" printing on the other side. This method of arrangement and composition of type and printed matter is deemed imperative in high class book and circular printing. With the use of this device embodying my invention, equipped with printers line gages as above descr ed, the above stated results may be attained acctirat "y and with great expedition.

A 3 object of this invention is to provide an improved chase for compositors for readily ssembling type matter in the desired form and 1S and more securely holding the same in pos' and from falling'down, by means of four supporting side members instead of two or three as now in common use, e. g. as in the present printer-s galley.

And, further, this invention provides a new and improved means for more perfect justification and easier composition where irregular shaped plates and cuts are combined with type matter; that is to say, the side-members being adjusted to the shape and dimensions required, the irregularly shaped cut is placed in its desired position within the chase, and the type matter is then built in so as to fill in the remainder of the space, 7

and in its proper place and relation to the cut,

and with means for looking the whole securely theless, while this invention relates to a chase 35 for use by printing compositors, in the assembly of type matter, at the same time it serves as a form or chase in which the assembly of type of a given article may be made, and when completed, may at once be locked up securely in and 3 by means of this device, and is thereupon available for the taking of planer proofs, or for installing .in a press for taking press-proofs.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a chase as herein described, comprising four separable and interchangeable side-members, alike in design and construction, which can be quickly assembled without regard to selection of the members, and the same being likewise susceptible of quick and easy disassembly and laying 1003 aside in a minimum compass of space while not in use. The members being interchangeable, one 7 extra member only need be carried, and should one member be damaged, same may be replaced by the extra member, thus saving the loss of the entire chase. The chase is assembled by slipping the hooked head end of one of the side members over the tail-end of another side member, the nose of the hook on one member being inserted into the guide-way in the outward side of 1 the other side-member, and in like manner, all the side-members are joined together framelike to compose the chase.

The maximum height of the chase and its various members must in every place be less than the height of the face of the assembled type, to the end that the latter will sufiiciently clear the top-most limits of the chase, thus enabling the taking of proofs of the type matter, without the necessity of removal from the chase and locking up in the present ordinary frames requiring the use of space-fillers and printers furniture, as is now generally required. in the printers trade.

My invention provides much more efiicient and available means for obtaining the ends sought, and the device herein described, which comprises my preferred embodiment of the invention, is much more simple in construction, more durable and more cheaply manufactured than any like device now in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the accompanying drawing, and the following description.

I attain these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a preferred form of my invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed view in perspective of one of the interchangeable side-members of the chase.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of one of the side-members, through the line AA in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the head of one of the side-members through line 3-13 in Figure 1, showing revealed a vertical plan view of one of the side-member locking devices.

Figure 5 is a View in perspective of one of the side-member locking devices.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

,The numerals 1-111 designate the sidemembers, which may be made of any suitable metal, wood, bakelite or other composition of materials. 2-222 designate the hook shaped heads at one end of each of the side-members, by means of which each side-member may be attached to a corresponding member as shown; the nose of said hook 4, being inserted with a sliding fit into the slots or guides 33-3--3 in the outward sides of the respective side-members, and so adapted that the said side-members may slide longitudinally backward and forward along the respective engaging members. 6-6 66 designate recesses in the heads 2222, in which are mounted the side-member locking devices Fig. 5. 77'77 designate the trigger arms of the locking devices Fig. 5. 8 designates the circular head of a locking device Fig. 5, one of which devices is mounted eccentrically on shaft 9 in each side-member head 2-222. When thetrigger arm 7 is depressed into the recess 6 the circular head of the locking device 8 moves eccentrically into contact with the inner side of the engaged side-member 1, locking the two side-members so engaged into the desired position. When the said trigger arm is elevated perpendicularly, the circular head 8 of the looking device in turn moves eccentrically away from contact with the corresponding side-member and the members are thereby freed so that they may be moved backward or forward upon each other, as herein above described. 1-0 is a type, exaggerated in size and proportions, shown in position in the chase Fig. 1, for the purpose of illustration only. 11, 11, ll, 11 designate printers line gages inscribed upon the upper sides of the respective side-members of the chase. These gages may be embossed or inscribed on separate members suitably mounted upon said side-members, I substantially as indicated, without departing from the spirit of the invention and claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

An adjustable co-mpositors chase having four like, separable and interchangeable sidemembers, the said side-members eachhaving one book shaped end adapted to be slipped over the tail-end of any one of the other said side-members, grooved guideways extending longitudinally the length of the outward sides of the several side-members adapted to slidably receive the noses of the hooked ends of the respective sidemembers, said side-members being adapted to 7 slide forward and backward upon each other and means of locking each of the respective sidemembers at any desired place along its corresponding member, whereby the said side-members may be held in adjusted position, and having inscribed on the upward sides of the respective side members printers line gages, substantially as set forth.

BEN E. HAYES 

